Sometimes All You Need Is A Little Sleep
by panddora
Summary: Sometimes even Elizabeth can't find the strengeth. But when that happens, he's always by her side. New Chapter. Sparky.
1. Chapter 1

John rounded the corner, glancing apologetically at Elizabeth. She rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"Hey, I arrived just ten minutes late yesterday and you treated it like the bloody wraith had invaded" Rodney complained, "He waltzes in a good twenty minutes late and nothing!" he continued, glaring at a now smirking John.

"I'm sorry Rodney; I will deal with John suitably after the meeting. Now I would appreciate it if we could proceed. I presume your last trip through the gate went according to plan?..." Elizabeth replied, quickly putting an end to Rodney's bickering. An hour or so later, Teyla, Ronon and Mackey left the briefing room; John remained behind to be "dealt" with.

"John? Is there anything you want? I really need to get on with paperwork." Elizabeth said, shuffling mounds of paper.

"Well, apparently I need to be "dealt with suitably"" he grinned.

"Oh, I forgot. Err, brush your teeth quicker or something. I only really said something to end Rodney's rant."

"Will do" he replied, "Need a hand with any of that?" he asked, gesturing to the paper work.

"No, I think I've got it under control"

"I can barely see you from behind it all! You look your practically drowning in the stuff. I really have nothing better to do, all I had planned today was bugging Rodney. Honest"

Elizabeth sat up and looked at John smiling "As much as I appreciate the offer, I'd rather just do it on my own. You'd better hurry up, missing valuable time with Rodney. Make sure you mention how cruel I am"

"What?"

"You know, pretend I "dealt" with you harshly" she grinned.

"Oh!" he laughed, "if you're sure." Elizabeth smiled and nodded, turning back to the mountains of paper work.

John's day passed quickly; a trip to the Gym, a lunch with Beckett and various trips to the labs to irritate Rodney filled his day comfortably. It was almost 4 in the morning before he finally decided to call it a night.

"Oh come on, they do it on the star ship enterprise"

"Sheppard, Atlantis is not the bloody star ship enterprise, food replicator's do not exist, and they won't do in your life time. Don't you have someone else to annoy?"

"I'm sure there are others, but none turn that nice shade of red you do" he sniggered.

Rodney, too tired to think of comeback, just rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. John momentarily considered looking at the experiment Rodney had been running. After one brief look down a microscope at species of grass, he decided to leave. Walking along the corridors he passed no one, Atlantis's inhabitants asleep after another hard days work. Rubbing his eyes he saw a light on in the distance. Soon enough he stood outside the briefing room.

"Liz?" John spoke quietly, walking in to the room. Elizabeth Weir was at her desk, head buried beneath paper, fast asleep. He stood there, just watching her sleep, a rarely seen expression of calm across her face. Turning to go, his hand brushed a stapler on her desk. The sound of metal hitting the floor woke her suddenly, sending paper flying.

"John? Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked, bending down to pick up the paper.

John bent down to help out. "I was passing and noticed the light was on. You should really get some sleep" he answered.

Standing back up, pushing the hair out of her face, she looked at John wearily.

"Thank you major, I can look after myself. I just needed to rest my eyes for a while."

"Elizabeth, when was the last time you slept?"

"C'mon John, I'll be finished in an hour at the most. Let it go"

"When did you last sleep?"

"John…" she trailed off, looking down at the floor.

"Well?"

"I don't remember" she confessed. "But I have to get this done; Atlantis won't run properly other wise"

"Elizabeth, Atlantis won't run at all if its leader keeps nodding off" John smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Go to bed, this can wait"

"But…" Elizabeth began, pointing despairingly at the paper work. John rolled his eyes, and led her out of the room. Walking down the corridor, Elizabeth could barely keep her eyes open, relying on John's hand on her waist to lead her to her room. John opened her bedroom door and switched on her light,

"Now, get some sleep before the meeting tomorrow." He smiled

"I thought I was the one that gave orders" she smiled back yawning.

"Well, I don't think you're in a position to give orders right now. You can barely stand" he answered. "Night Liz"

Elizabeth nodded then walked towards her bed. Fully clothed she climbed in to bed, just about summoning the strength to reply, before falling in to a deep sleep.

John smiled, and shut the door, before making his way back to his own room. He smiled. Two hours before the morning meeting, Elizabeth was going to be shattered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hehe, thought Elizabeth deserved some attention for once!**

****

John quickened his pace to a fast jog, aiming to arrive only 5 minutes late today. He rounded the corner, already smiling at the thought of Rodney's annoyance. She wasn't there. The smile faded,

"Where's Li- Weir?" He corrected himself.

"She has not appeared. I'm sure she has just been delayed by a member of the crew." Teyla reassured him.

"mm." John replied, sitting down in his chair. "just not like her to be late"

"How would you know? You're never here on time" Rodney began.

"Leave it out Mackay." John replied, not feeling up to bickering this morning

Rodney looked surprised, before his attention was caught by the laptop screen in front of him. John began tapping impatiently with a pen, oblivious to the looks of annoyance he was getting from the rest of the team. He kept tapping it, staring in to the distance.

"Major Sheppard…?" Ronon began. John hadn't heard. Ronon, his patience stretched to its short limits lunged out and took the pen from his fingers.

"Hey!" Sheppard began, startled.

"A tad annoying laddy" Carson nodded. John rolled his eyes. _"Where was Elizabeth" _

Ten minutes passed.

"I'll go find her" John said, standing up.

"Major, I'm sure…" began Teyla

"She's never late" he cut her off, disappearing out of the room. John was in a bad mood now, he ran full pelt down the corridor, letting off steam. He slowed down at the end, though not soon enough to avoid the technician who had tuned in to the corridor. He collided with her, sending her flying.

"God, I'm sorry" he apologised, extending a hand to pull her up.

"Err, no problem" she replied, dusting herself off.

"Sure you're ok?"

"Fine thank you. I'm sure what ever your doing is far more important."

"Huh?"

"Well, you're running like you've got a wraith at your heels"

"Oh, yeah…." He drifted off. "Sorry again" he finished, and walked away. _"Why was he running so fast? Why did he care when she was a few minutes late?"_ He sighed; what was the point in pretending he didn't know.

A few minutes later, he had not found her in any of the conference rooms or labs. She's overslept he concluded, and headed towards her bedroom. Knocking on the same bedroom door he'd shut just 3 hours ago, he felt guilty. Maybe he should let her sleep. No, she'd be annoyed with him for letting her miss the meeting. Reluctantly he knocked harder. No reply.

"Hey, Weir!" he shouted. Still no reply. John frowned, concerned.

"Liz?" Still nothing. He slid open the door and stepped inside. The small figure of Elizabeth lay under the white sheets. John walked over quietly, knocking over a lamp, sending it crashing to the ground_; "she's one hell of a heavy sleeper…"_he smiled. She hadn't even stirred. John lent over, pushing the hair out of her eyes.

"Shit!" he cried out. Her eyes were wide open, staring straight ahead, though apparently fast asleep.

"Liz, what the hell?" he murmured. He sat on the corner of the bed, watching her sleep. Her short sharp breaths came slowly, barely breathing at all. Shaking her shoulders slightly, he tried to wake her. "Liz, c'mon". She didn't move. John touched her face, willing her to wake. Still nothing, though her eyes remained open, staring. He was scared now.

"Beckett, something's wrong with Elizabeth" he spoke urgently in to his radio. A reply came back almost instantly.

"Where are you Sheppard?"

"In her room, she's just… staring"

"Ok, bring her to the hospital bay, I'll meet you there" John pushed back the sheets and picked up her limp body in his arms. Her eyes closed slightly.

"It's ok, you're going to be fine" he whispered, running as fast as he could towards the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thankee for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! **

Atlantis's inhabitants parted, pressing themselves along the corridor walls, shocked at what they saw. Their strong leader, the woman holding Atlantis together was now hanging lifelessly in the Colonel's arms. John held Elizabeth's head close to his chest, hiding the staring eyes that scared him more than any Wraith had in the past years. He was close now, though he never slowed. Carson as promised stood in the doorway, immediately indicating to a bed. John lay her down, grimacing as his sight fell upon Elizabeth's blank eyes.

Carson jumped at the sight of her, so pale. Yet those eyes…

"Beckett, do something!" John said to the frozen doctor.

_What the hell was wrong with her?_ He'd encountered so many new cases in Atlantis; from the physically disfigured survivors of Wraith attacks to the mentally scarred that had lived through their torture. But this; a woman he respected for her strength of mind, her courage, her kindness. Reduced to an almost corpse-like figure, with no obvious explanation. He checked her heart rate; steady but slow. He glanced up; John was pacing back and forward.

"John, I have no idea what's wrong with her. I'm going to have to run some tests. It may take a wee while. Go get something to eat" Carson suggested. "You look almost as pale as Elizabeth"

"What if she wakes up, what if "this" gets worse" he said, looking at Elizabeth miserably.

"Sheppard, if anything happens you'll be the first to know" he reassured him, pointing at the radio on his belt, before disappearing to confer with other members of the medical team.

"Ok" john murmured, bending down to kiss Elizabeth's forehead while Beckett's back was turned.

Once in the corridors of Atlantis again, he received some worried looks. Obviously word had spread of Elizabeth's condition already. Dr. Zelenka was the first to speak to him;

"Sheppard, hold on" he shouted from behind John, jogging to catch him up. "How's Elizabeth?" he asked, concerned.

"Not really sure" John replied,

_Go away_

"Oh, is she in pain?"

"I really don't know… not sure, she just looks, kinda'… asleep" They carried on walking, Zelenka unsure of what to say. Sheppard was clearly upset.

"Anything else?" John asked tersely.

"No, thank you. I, err, have to help Rodney now…I'm sure she will be fine Colonel"

"Mm" he said, raising his eyebrows as the scientist turned down the opposite corridor, in completely the wrong direction for the science labs. John sighed; it wasn't Zelenka's fault she was in hospital.

Carson was right. Maybe he should eat something. He began to make his way to the cafeteria. Several people glanced at John along the corridor. _"What the hell do they want?" _he muttered in his head, his fingers clenching. His temper began to rise as he received more glances, people whispered like school kids as he passed them. He was nearly at the hall now, _"just let it go"_ he told himself. "What?" he shouted at a man in combats. The man shrugged nervously, and scuttled away. He scooped up a tray on entering the hall, slamming it on to the metal rail surrounding the kitchen. Taking a turkey sandwich from the shelf, he walked to the furthest table, avoiding eye contact with anyone, wanting to be left alone. John sat, facing away from the rest of the hall, closing his eyes.

He shouldn't' have lashed out at the guy in the corridor. He slowly began to calm down, though his appetite had vanished, replaced with a slightly sick feeling. Resting his head in his hands he took long breaths, trying to shut out the sound of people's lunch time conversations. He swore under his breath at the sound of scraping chairs behind him.

"_More people. Great…"_

"So, did ya' hear about Weir?" John heard one man say.

"Yeah, Jason mentioned something. What happened?" his friend replied.

"Dunno really, just saw Sheppard running with her. I thought Weir had just finally given in to the man, everyone knows he's got the hots for her!" he laughed

John restrained himself. They hadn't realised he was there. _Calm…_

"Yeah. Can see why though, I mean, when she starts giving orders, she looks so…"

"_Let it go John, they're just mucking around"_

"Yeah! I've got a few orders I'd like to try out in her… shit"

John couldn't stand it any longer. Grasping his tray, he spun round smashing the wood in to the side of the guys head.

"If I ever hear you talk about Dr. Weir like that again, ass hole, it's going to be a hell of a lot bigger than a tray!" he threatened, glaring at the now cowering man. He nodded, terrified, blood poring from his nose. The whole hall was silent, everyone was looking at them.

"Sheppard?" Carson spoke from his radio. John, slightly embarrassed at the attention he had attracted, spoke back;

"Yeah?"

"Something you should see"

"I'm on my way" John took one last look around the hall. He should really do something about the crumpled figure on the floor "Come with me Captain" he ordered. He stood, and followed John out of the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

"Carson!" Mackay shouted, "You're the doctor! Do something"

Carson turned his head to face Rodney, mouth open.

"I honestly haven't a clue what to do …"

Both looked back at Elizabeth's writhing figure beneath the bed sheets. Her head kept turning from side to side, her eyes shut, fists clenched. Carson lent over and grabbed a flailing hand.

"Elizabeth, it's me, Carson" he began. Stroking her fingers, "Everything's go-. Crap!" Elizabeth suddenly shot upwards, sinking her teeth in to the doctor's hand, though her eyes were still shut. Carson tried to free himself, but she had wrapped her thin hands over his, binding their fingers.

"Rodney!" Carson shouted

Rodney took a moment to responded, but eventually helped, pulling one of Elizabeth's hands away.

She fell back again instantly, almost as quickly as she had risen, once again lifeless on her bed. Two nurses tenderly lifted her pallid arms, strapping them to the bed with white belts encase she woke again. Carson looked down at his hands, blood pouring from Elizabeth's bite marks. Cringing slightly, he ran them under cold water, before bandaging them quickly.

John ran, _"Why did you leave her in the first place?"_ he screamed at himself.

"Hurry up Simmons" he ordered to the man behind him.

"Sorry sir" he replied, still clutching his newly broken nose.

John turned in to the hospital, she was lying there, exactly how he'd left her.

"Carson?" he asked confused. "Crap. What happened?" he asked noticing the blood stained bandages.

"Elizabeth did not exactly react well to human contact" he sighed.

"What did she do?"

"Well, she bit me."

John's eyebrow's raised, "What?" He walked over to Elizabeth's bedside; she looked so quiet, so peaceful. He lent out a hand to brush the hair from her eyes

"No Sheppard!" Rodney said, grabbing his arm before he touched her.

"I'm sorry John, but no contact. We've restrained her, but those belts can often do more harm than good. Last time she attacked me with incredible strength. I hate to think what might happen to her if she tries to break free of 'em now" he said, pointing to the belts.

John nodded, sitting down beside her. Several minutes passed, but no one said anything. Any non essential personnel left the room tactfully, giving their leader some privacy.

"She's working up quite a temperature" Carson said, his face worried. He ran a check on the computer, "Almost 103"

"Excuse me sir" said a small voice from the other end of the room.

John turned away reluctantly from Elizabeth, "Oh, right. Carson, could you attend to that" The doctor walked over,

"What happened laddy? Did you get in a fight?"

"Yeah, something like that" he responded, keeping his voice to a minimum. Carson led him out of the room, leaving John alone with her.

John longed to reach out and stroke her soft skin, to hold her almost skeletal body against his own, to hear that sweet laugh.

_No, you could hurt her. Don't risk it._

Hours passed, but John would not leave. Carson checked on her every hour or so, never knowing what to say to comfort John. His eyes never left her until late that evening.

"What's going to happen then" John finally asked

"Well, she appears to be in a sleep-like state at the moment." Carson explained. "All her vital signs are correct, but her breathing is all over the place. One minute steady, the next like she's running a bloody marathon. But I can't begin to understand what's wrong with her until I can touch her without being, well, bitten!" he finished.

"Yeah, she seems to be calming down, I mean, her heart rates basically normal now" John agreed, nodding at the monitor beside her bed.

"Aye, I'll try again in the morning. It's almost midnight Sheppard; you really should get some sleep"

"No, I'm not leaving her…" he answered curtly. Carson raised an eyebrow.

John blushed slightly, "Well, you know, just encase she wakes, might need someone to calm her down."

"Sure thing, well, I still recommend getting some sleep. At this rate you are going to be running Atlantis for a while Colonel"

"Wo, guess I will" he said reluctantly.

"Night Sheppard" Carson smiled; John thanked him, then turned back to Elizabeth.

"_Like I'm going to sleep."_ He told himself. Much to his annoyance, this is exactly what he did.


	5. Chapter 5

_She ran, slamming in to walls, hurtling down corridor after corridor, but it always stayed behind her. Several times she thought she'd lost it and would crumple to the floor, gasping. But all too soon those stumbling footsteps could be heard once more. Again, she'd haul herself up from the cold metal floor and run, her heart pumping furiously in her head. _

"_How long had she been running?" An hour maybe? She couldn't go on much longer, she very much doubted whether she'd be able to get up the next time she fell to the floor. Her body ached, her ankles were weak, and her head spun. Was that light in the distance? Filled with new hope she ran faster. The footsteps had faded. Nearly there now. _

* * *

"Ouch" John's eyes shot open, his hand clutching his head, scanning the room for his attacker.

"Oh…" It had been Elizabeth. Her hand was clawing at the air where his head had been, her fingers itching to touch him again, but restrained by the belts. He glanced at her face. Her eyes were closed, but her face kept changing; looks of horror, exhaustion and agony passed quickly, occasionally she'd mumble something or gasp suddenly.

John hated seeing her like this; so obviously in pain, though nothing he could do. She bit her lip, teeth pressing down upon her skin. Her eyes flashed open, a look of sheer terror across her face. For a few moments her green eyes shone, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Her teeth pressed down harder on her lip, they were almost white now with the pressure. Abruptly, Elizabeth relaxed, total calm took over her. John looked on in horror as blood started pouring from the fresh gashes on her lips. Picking up his radio, he decided he couldn't do this alone.

"C-Carson?"

There was a few seconds of silence before he replied.

"Sheppard?" said the Scott, obviously waking from sleep.

"Can you come down to the hospital?"

"Certainly, why-" he began, "Elizabeth? Is she ok?" he asked urgently, now woken up fully.

"Not really. Just get down here now"


	6. Chapter 6

"_Cross roads?" She had a chance now. Both looked identical from what she could see, but the small window of light only showed a couple of meters in to each corridor. The walls were a dark grey, and she could hear a soft humming, and thankfully no sound of the wraith. Elizabeth glanced up. She could just make out the bars of a metal grill. Nothing else. Crap. The footsteps were back. She had to decide which corridor to run down. Her life depended on this decision._

"_Left or right?"_

_Or maybe there was another way…_

* * *

"John, what's happened?" Carson asked, out of breath on entering the room.

"She started moving, and her eyes… they, err opened and she started crying"

Carson put a hand on John's shaking shoulders. From what Carson could make out, though John disguised it well, he was almost crying too. "Go on son"

"Well, she bit her lip, really tightly. And slowly she started shaking, until her teeth cut through and… then she just stopped, relaxed like this" he finished, gazing at the now sleeping Elizabeth, red streaks covering her pale neck.

"Well, I'll see if I can run some tests. She looks calm at the moment, hopefully she won't react like she did last time" he smiled weakly, running his hands over the bandage. John nodded, though not looking away from Elizabeth for a single moment. He was still cross with himself for falling asleep before.

* * *

_She hauled herself up, her feet pressed against the wall, her hands clinging onto the metal bars. Elizabeth had managed to grab on to the metal grid, walk her legs up the wall, and now was pressed against the ceiling, her legs tense to keep her straight. The footsteps were approaching fast. This better work. She could hear the wraith's clothing material rubbing together now; it was close. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes; her hands were starting to ache, and her legs were feeling weak. She could hear it breathing now. The footsteps stopped. It was below her. She slowly turned her neck and looked down. It was there, glancing from side to side, deciding which corridor to take. Elizabeth willed it to leave. Soon her arms would give way and she'd fall back to the ground. And at this rate, landing directly on top of the wraith. It chose the left corridor, sprinting off in to the darkness. _

_Seconds later she fell to the ground, her chin smashing on her knee sending her teeth in to her lips. She muffled a scream, clutching her mouth in her hands. Taking a couple of seconds to regain her strength, she started to run down the opposite corridor. _

* * *

"What have you found Carson?"

"Not much I'm afraid" he replied, resting Elizabeth's head gently on her pillow again.

"Stop" John said, something had caught the light as Carson had moved her "What's that?" he asked, pointing to something on Elizabeth's neck. Carson's eyes widened. Rolling her body on to her side Carson brushed away her hair so that he could take a closer look.

"Hand me those tweezers John" he asked, pointing to a near by tray of equipment.

John handed them over, leaning forward to see what Carson had found.

"Colonel Sheppard, if you don't mind, you're blocking the light"

"Oh" John lent back.

* * *

_Ok, she'd lost the wraith. Keep running, there had to be something else here apart from corridors. The passage was curved; Elizabeth realised she must have doubled back on herself by now. Worrying slightly whether she'd ever find a way off of this, well, where ever the hell she was, she started to panic. _

"_Keep calm Liz" she told herself._

"_You've been running down corridors for over an hour now. There is a wraith somewhere close, blood is pouring from your mouth and you haven't got a clue where you are. Keep calm?"_

"_Stop. It's bad, but it could be worse."_

"_Oh? Do go on"_

"_You could have fallen on top of a wraith..."_

"_Oh, well, that's really cheered me up…"_

"_What the hell are you- am I- doing? I'm talking to myself!" She screamed in her head.. She could see Rodney doing this, but not her. What would John do? John… she felt weaker just at the thought of his name. Mentally slapping herself for sounding like Rodney AGAIN, she carried on blindly down the corridor, pushing thoughts of John away. Noise? She stopped instantly, listening. Footsteps, coming towards her Oh god. The corridor must have curved right round. It must loop back to the right hand passage at the cross roads. She turned and began to run back the way she came. Any mental strength she had possessed before crumbled. Physically she was exhausted, her throat was rasping, and her mouth stung every time the air passed the cuts on her lips. Tears streaming down her faces she stumbled on until her legs refused to run any further. Crumpling to the floor, she looked up as the wraith slowed, stopping beside her. It smiled, its watery eyes gazing down upon her, feasting upon her very appearance. Burying her head in her knees she waited, but nothing came. She felt dizzy, as if spinning, butwould not look up again. _


	7. Chapter 7

"Cheers. You'd have made a fine nurse Sheppard" Carson placed the tweezers either side of the object and pulled. It came away easily, revealing two 3 inch wires, resembling straightened paperclips, embedded in Elizabeth's neck. John watched as Elizabeth's face tensed when the wires were removed. He bent down and wiped away the blood droplets as soon as Carson had finished. Closing his eyes, he kissed her cheek softly. Then sat once again by her side.

"John…?"

John stared in disbelief. "Elizabeth…" Carson appeared behind him instantly;

"Oh thank God" Carson sighed loudly, smiling warmly at a somewhat bewildered looking Elizabeth.

"John!" she exclaimed softly, trying to sit up. Throwing his arms around her, John wrapped Elizabeth in his embrace as he had longed to do for so long now. Carson smiled, hurriedly removing the belts from her waist before the leaders' reunion caused her further pain. Deciding further examination could wait a few a minutes, Carson left the room; certain Sheppard could help Elizabeth far more than anything on Atlantis could right now.

The two remained in each others arms for several minutes, Elizabeth's head buried in John's chest, the images of the Wraith still fresh in her mind. She began to cry, her frame shivering against his. Without thinking he began to lightly kiss her head, stroking her back soothingly. John neither knew why this happened to her, nor what had caused it; all he knew was she was here now. Elizabeth's shaking began to subside, her small sobs quietening. Opening her eyes for only the second time, she raised her head slowly, meeting John's gaze. Moving several locks of hair out of her face, John lightly touched her face, tracing his fingers over her bare cheeks, coming to a stop when he reached her lips. Pausing only briefly, he leaned forward, pressing his own to hers.

Though brief, it was all that she needed right now. Though words were hardly needed, John confirmed what their eyes so openly expressed;

"I love you. I love you Elizabeth"

She smiled, but quickly looked down; proceeding to curl up, her head on the pillow facing away from John.

Though still overjoyed at her return, John was a little hurt at her apparent coldness. He began to ease himself off the mattress. She reached out, grasping his coat in her fists. Pulling his arm towards her, John grinned, his earlier doubts vanishing as quickly as they had come. Slipping his boots off, he lifted up the sheets and slid in to her bed, his body moulding perfectly around hers. His head lay facing the head of brown curls now. He blew slightly on her earlobe, causing her to turn around, giggling silently. Now they lay facing each other, his arms without a thought encompassing her once again.

"I love you too" She whispered, her eyes closing.

John watched her drift asleep, studying her beautiful face. If his eyes saw nothing else again, he would not care. Elizabeth's sleeping face could not be matched. When John felt fully satisfied she was soundly asleep, he too closed his eyes, the image of her sleeping face, that lay only millimetres away form his own, suspended clearly is his mind.

Carson re-entered some hours later, momentarily startled at the sight of John's back where Elizabeth had once lain. He quickly walked over, sighing quietly as he discovered Elizabeth's small figure pressed against Johns. Dimming the hospital lights, he left them to sleep.


End file.
